Challenge of the Piper (comic story)

Challenge of the Piper
Doctor:	First Doctor
Companion(s):	John, Gillian
Main enemy:	The Pied Piper
Main setting:	Hamelin, 1284
Key crew
Artist:	Neville Main
Release details
Number of parts:	5
Printed in:	705-709
Release date:	14 June - 12 July 1965
Reprinted in:	DWCC 20
Format:	Comic
TVC comic stories
← Previous	The Gyros Injustice
Next →	Moon Landing

Challenge of the Piper was a TV Comic story featuring Dr. Who, John and Gillian.

Summary

The TARDIS lands in the town of Hamelin in 1284, in the realm of the Pied Piper within the Koppelberg Hills. The First Doctor, John and Gillian meet the children of Hamelin, who were taken away by the Pied Piper after the Mayor of Hamelin refused to pay him the promised thousand guilders for ridding the town of rats. The children now want to go home, so the Doctor and his grandchildren go to see the Pied Piper to try to persuade him. But the Pied Piper will only do this if the Doctor, John and Gillian passes three tests; the children can go home if they succeed, but the Doctor and his grandchildren will be imprisoned in the Pied Piper's castle dungeons for the rest of their lives if they fail. The Doctor uses technological tricks to pass the tests, and then leads the children back to Hamelin. The Mayor gives him the thousand guilders for the Pied Piper after the Doctor threatens to take the children away again, but when he and his grandchildren return to the cave in the Koppelberg Hills, they discover the Pied Piper and his realm have vanished. Before they leave in the TARDIS, the Doctor leaves the bag of coins in the cave in case the Pied Piper comes back to look for it.

Characters

• First Doctor
• John Who
• Gillian Who
• The Pied Piper
• Mayor

Worldbuilding

• The Doctor encounters a dragon in the Pied Piper's realm, and uses a fire extinguisher to drive it off.
• The Pied Piper's realm contains toffee apple trees, lemonade fountains and barley sugar groves.
• When the Piper asks who he is, the Doctor answers, "I am Who".

Notes

to be added

Original print details

(Publication with page count and closing captions)

• TVC 705 (2 pages) [No closing caption]
• TVC 706 (2 pages) [No closing caption]
• TVC 707 (2 pages) [No closing caption]
• TVC 708 (2 pages) [No closing caption]
• TVC 709 (2 pages) THE END!

Continuity

to be added